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Regional Alliance for Firefighter Training (RAFT)
Today’s firefighter must be highly trained in technical and sophisticated methods to effectively fight fires, provide medical treatment, and mount a wide range of aid and rescue operations. However, Michigan’s struggling economy, cuts in revenue sharing, and increasing insurance and pension costs are limiting city budgets across the state. To help cities in Southeast Michigan more efficiently use dwindling resources and provide residents with quality public services, MAC worked to establish the Regional Alliance for Firefighter Training.
 RAFT is a regional partnership of Southeast Michigan fire departments and community colleges dedicated to ensuring that firefighters are highly trained professionals fully equipped to effectively save lives and property. RAFT promotes teamwork and collaboration among local fire departments and community colleges and delivers high-quality training that would not be available on a community-by-community basis.
A highlight of RAFT’s programming each year is the Regional Extrication Learning Symposium & Team Challenge, an event that offers a unique opportunity for firefighters to learn state-of-the-art skills needed to rescue victims of vehicular accidents. The 8th annual event was held in 2006. Ford Motor Company generously provided 35 new vehicles from the 2005-2007 model years that were demolished and configured to simulate crash conditions.
RAFT has been featured in publications as a model for regional collaboration initiatives, including:
>> Creating Collaborative Communities: Fire Service
Michigan Suburbs Alliance, 2006
>> Making Joint Public Services Work in the 21st Century -
Intergovernmental Cooperation: Case Studies in Southeast Michigan
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, 2004
For more information on RAFT, contact:
Richard Marinucci
Fire Chief, City of Farmington Hills
248.426.4400
© 2008 Metropolitan Affairs Coalition (MAC)
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